Grand Rapids Art Prize

Grand Rapids recently held an "Art Prize" competition in the downtown area.  Artists from all over the world competed and showed off their art in many various buildings, over bridges, in the river, and on the streets of Grand Rapids.  We took the kids to look at some of the outdoor displays on a nice day in September.  It was great to see so many people walking around and enjoying downtown Grand Rapids and I hope this event comes back each year.  It was a really great way to see some interesting art.

Mia's Baptism

Mia was baptized on Sept. 20th at St. Paul the Apostle Church by Father Ernie Schnieder.  This is the same church (and priest) where Dave and I got married and Carter was baptized.  Our best friends, Mike and Meredith Slobodnik, graciously accepted the duty of being Mia's Godparents and Grandpa and Grandma Jernstadt, Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin, and Grandma Webb were also present (we were excited to be able to schedule it when Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin were home from Florida so all Grandparents could join us).  The day was beautiful and Mia was perfect during Mass and her baptism ceremony. 

This shot shows off Mia's beautiful dress which was actually my baptism gown from 1977.  She wore a slip drss, lace overlay and lace coat.  It fit her perfectly.

Here we are getting ready for the ceremony.

Here we are with Father Ernie right after Mia was baptized. 

Carter was acting shy for the camera.

After the ceremony we went back to our house for a nice lunch.  Mia received some wonderful baptism gifts from everyone, including her first bible, a beautiful charm bracelet, and necklace.  We really appreciate everyone sharing this day with us.  Mia wants to send her most heartfelt thanks!

Testing the Water

Carter started swim classes a few weeks ago.  This is his second round of classes although, to Carter, it's basically like the first time since with his first classes he was just a baby and can't remember them.  The first week was not what you would call a success.  Dave and I were out of town and Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin were babysitting the kids so they got roped into taking Carter to his first class.  Carter pretty much clung to Grandpa and cried for a majority of the class.  In an effort to try and get Carter a little more used to the water before his second class, we took him to Grandpa and Grandma's swimming pool at their condo in Grand Haven. 

First we tried the outdoor pool.  It was a gorgeous day outside, but the pool was quite chilly.  Carter was upset the second his toes hit the water. 

   

                                  

So next we tried the indoor pool, which felt like bath water.  Carter wasn't exactly thrilled at first, but once he got used to the water, he had a great time with Daddy, Mia, and Grandpa.

After a bunch of swimming, we headed back to Mom and Don's condo. for a nice picnic lunch.  We love having Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin home!  We will be sad to see them go in a week!

Carter's next class was the next day and we're happy to say he only cried a few times!  He seems to be getting more used to the water.  We hope each week he gets a little more comfortable and excited about swimming!  Here is a picture from class, it's rather dark, but Dave and Carter are in the middle.

Harbor Springs Visit

We took a trip up north over Labor Day weekend to visit Michelle, John, and Henry Kruzel, along with Jake, Luise, and Clara Spruit, and Scott Floria.  It was a U of M architecture reunion of sorts, and despite all the maize and blue it was a great weekend.  Jake, Luise and Clara came all the way from Ireland (visiting Jake's friends and family during a month trip in the U.S.A.).  Clara was born the beginning of May so she and Mia had a lot in common (other than the hair) and got along great - cooing and drooling side by side.  Henry is about a year younger than Carter and they had a blast putting together giant puzzles and working with Henry's tool bench.  The grown-ups enjoyed watching some college football games during the day and a bonfire at night (once the kids were tucked in bed) including a nice tribute to Michael Jackson courtesy of our awesome DJ, Scott. 

Mia and Clara showing off their neck strength.

Jake helping Henry and Carter put together a puzzle.

On Sunday we visited a farm, Henry and Carter loved feeding the sheep, pigs, chickens, and fish.  They also enjoyed running away from a crazy goose and eating a picnic in a big barn.

Apparently he didn't want his picture taken because he chased us out of his barn.

We had a great time, thank you Kruzel's for having us up!

"I'm THREE!"
(A proclamation from Carter almost every day since his birthday. I wish we could all be this excited to age).

This post is long overdue, Carter turned three almost exactly one month ago and I still haven't posted any pictures! Without further ado, here is how his birthday went.

We started the day at John Ball Zoo. It was a great day to see the animals, it was a bit cool so everyone seemed to be out and about roaming their cages. It was also a week day, so it was not crowded and we took advantage of no lines and did a camel ride. Carter acted a little excited to do this ride but afterward he told me the camel was stinky. You can't get anything by a three year old. We also petted some stingrays, climbed on the wooden train, and ended with the obligatory photo on John Ball's lap. I have quite a few old pictures of me and Lee when we were little sitting on this same statue.

In the evening, we had a party at our house with family and friends. Grandpa and Grandma Jernstadt, Grandma Webb, Uncle Josh, Uncle Mark, Deb, Grandpa Mike, and the Burke family all came over to help us celebrate. Uncle Mark came over a bit early and let Carter open his present before everyone else arrived. It was a huge bouncy castle like you see at carnivals (but on a somewhat smaller scale). Carter was so excited to jump in it, he could hardly sit still for the two minutes it took to blow it up. Carter also received a ton of other fun presents from all the party-goers, toys which he is still playing with non-stop.

When we asked Carter what type of birthday cake he wanted for his birthday, he told us "a Lightening McQueen cake"...and so we bought a car cake mold and Dave decorated it to match Lightening. That's supposed to be a "3" in the upper right corner...not a random letter "m."

Half A Year!



Mia turned 6 months old today. Hard to believe we're half way to her first birthday already! I know I've said it before, but Mia is an incredibly good baby - very flexible and good natured. She has been very healthy and at her last Dr.'s appointment (end of August) she weighed close to 16 lbs. which was right in the middle of the pack percentage wise. As far as sleeping goes, we call her our little teenager. She goes to bed around 8pm and we usually have to wake her up for daycare around 7am on the week days. On the weekends she usually sleeps until 8am. Physically she is getting stronger and more coordinated every day. She mastered sitting up by herself right at the 5 month mark and now she can sit for long periods of time while playing with toys. She also acts very interested in crawling - she tries very hard to move when she's on her stomach. I think she is really close to scooting. She still loves watching her older brother play and run. In years to come, I think a lot of her motivation to learn new things will be due to watching her older brother do it.

Mia also started eating real baby food about a month ago. We started with veggies and moved to fruits and she's pretty much through the whole spectrum of flavors. She definitely prefers the vegetables at this point (just like her brother always did), we just don't have any sweet tooth babies in this house. I think carrots are her favorite so far, the couple times we fed her carrots she went nuts. I couldn't shovel them in her mouth fast enough and she would eat the entire jar at each sitting. Carter loves to help feed Mia, he thinks it's hilarious that she gets so messy when she eats.

Something that cracks Dave and I up is the fact that Mia is obsessed with remote controls...sound familiar? We have another Carter on our hands. Anytime she sees a remote lately she starts grunting and squealing and grabbing for it. She's happiest when she can just stare and play with one.

Here she is playing on our bed with Carter and her remote.

This was taken about a month ago when she first started sitting up by herself.

We had a fall or two.

That last thing that I must mention is her hair. I cannot believe how fast her hair grows. This picture doesn't do it justice. I'll try to do a separate hair post coming up. It is getting so long in the back and on the sides, and I love figuring out new ways to put it in barrettes and pony tails (the pony tails are still a bit scraggly but she sports a great little sprout on top of her head). Lately after her bath I've noticed it's a tremendous problem combing through her hair. She gets the worst knots and tangles...I think I'm going to have to get some of that "no-tangle" shampoo already!

Happy 6 month birthday Mia!!

New Modes of Transportation

We gave Carter his first bike a few weeks before his birthday. He was super excited when we gave it to him and he jumped right on without hesitation. He also loved helping Dave pump up the tires, in fact he actually prefers to "fix it" than ride it (big surprise). He did pretty well with the pedaling but he's still mastering that whole concept. Unfortunately he's more used to pushing a gas pedal to make things go rather than doing the work himself.

Learning how to pump up the tires

Busy "fixing" things.

Mia also started a new mode of transportation (so to speak). She is mastering her Johnny Jump Up and the whole "using your legs" concept. I realize in this picture she looks like she has a crazy wig on, but it was the best picture that showed her face (she normally looks down when she's jumping). Sorry baby girl, but your hair is a bit crazy!